Mysidia
Mysidia is an old nation founded by the Sage Minwu, who drifted ashore 500 years ago. He brought together some of the greatest mages in the world and made a city-state devoted entirely to the practise and categorization of magic. They were the ones whom initially discovered the means to use magic in different ways, and most forms of magical disciplines that exist today are known to originate from within Mysidia; in particular this includes Black and White Mages, and most of the inhabitants of the nation today are mages of one of those orders. Mysidia is located on a remote island far away from the other nations, and is likewise masked from sight and scrying by powerful magical wards and objects called Lodestones - which are stones naturally infused with magic and alchemical components, their use is that they can support magic bound unto them for a very long time before they eventually crumble. Through the use of the Lodestones, the people of Mysidia have managed to erect powerful forcefields and barriers around their island and having it concealed from the sight of all who would otherwise stumble upon it, and therefore ensure the nations continued obscurity, a trait which they're known to live off of. They hide their presence like this for several reasons. #'To Protect the World from Mysidia' #'To Protect Mysidia from the World' #'To Ensure Their Knowledge Remains Theirs Alone' #'To Remain Neutral' Mages, especially powerful mages are very dangerous people and Mysidia is at its heart a very distrustful nation; with good reason - people with power are prone to abuse it and they cannot risk one of their deviants escaping into the open world and employing their significant gifts to cause havoc and destruction, or whatever else they might be inclined to do. Therefore Mysidia's walls and barriers are as much to keep its more unstable and dangerous inhabitants inside as much as its to prevent others from getting in. Very few mages from Mysidia are ever permitted from leaving its borders, one of the few exceptions being their Sages - whom are renowned far and wide as some of the best users of magic in the world and are thus highly welcome. Some of their delinquent mages also sometimes escape their borders through chance, the most recent escapeè being one Phoebe Makari. A powerful Red Mage and a former student of Cinquleur. Mysidians are highly aware that their accomplishments within the art of magic are highly coveted by mages all around the world, but they also happen to know that many of their achievements, secrets and ideas are simply too dangerous to be allowed to fall into unskilled hands. Thus they've erected the wall to protect themselves from unwanted entry and spies. Furthermore, Mysidians are aware that their craft and progress would be frightening to many and thus need to make themselves safe, as because of their very small nation they simply do not have the strength to survive a direct assault no matter the nation that attacks them, their magic not being enough of itself, as powerful as it might be. Mysidia and the mage-city of Cinquleur are the chief producers of all magical items, weapons and armaments in the known world - exporting potions, spellbooks and items overseas through a secret route to deliver their wares. Mysidian craftmanship is noted to be exquisite and all objects that stem from there are very espensive, usually owing to the powerful enchantments placed upon them by their manufacturers, but despite their high prices their merchants very rarely have trouble selling them - as magical items are simply far too valuable for even common soldiers. The only way to buy Mysidian wares is to visit one of the so-called Mysidian Enclaves - which are large merchant groups consisting entirely of powerful Magi, trained in the fine art of Mysidian craftmanship. These Enclaves are the only place where buying the finest wares of Mysidia is possible, with the items being given for common merchants to peddle being objects of minor magic, such as various elemental staves and rods, but never powerful artifacts. Mysidians refuse any attempt for outsiders to want to buy their secrets and they're known to punish spies and thieves very harshly - to ensure that no competitor gets wist of their secrets, they've ensured that only a handful of people knows of their recipes and the recipes theselves are written with magical runes. Laws and Society Mysidia is a Magocracy, a form of governing unique to it and the mage-city of Cinquleur - and this means that the nation is ruled not by seasoned politicians or royalty, but by the finest wizards and mages it has to offer, these are determined through the Games of Sorcery - an annual event held each fifth year, which includes splendid magical duels and other competitions, such as brewing the most potent potions, and other events such as which of the contestants can create the most extravagant and intricate magical spell. In Mysidia, skill with magic is prized above all else, as the nation thrives and survives off of magic - exporting powerful magical equipment, researching new spells for the rest of the world and sending their finest Magi to assist foreign forces in their various quests. The chosen leaders of Mysidia are known as Elders; mighty magi whom have distinquished themselves as the most remarkable wizards the nation has to offer either through deed or by winning the games, most Magi deter to the Elder as such a font of magical power and knowledge is one all of them can respect with ease, no matter the amount of darkness in their hearts. There's only a single Elder in charge at any given time, and he's aided in his governing by other magi of high standing, these mages are given the title of Archmage - a great honor among the Mysidian people - as it is considered the staple of a true master wizard to be deemed one. The Mage-City of Cinquleur is often believed to be the Capital of Mysidia, although only to those whom don't know the story of Mysidia completely. In truth, Cinquleur and Mysidia are fierce competitors and at times even mortal enemies, and there's much bad blood between them. This stems not from hatred, war or jealousy however - but from suspicion and paranoia, both parties considering the other part to be their only worthy foe in the entire world, and through this, and the paranoia of mages its been reduced to what its today. Beyond this, both states are bound to live off of foreign wares and earn money by exports - this neccessity means that they compete not only for the sake of their research and money, but also for the very inhabitants among them. However, mages are an eccentric sort and whereas other, less civilized people would've taken up arms and opted to remove the root of problems entirely through war, the mages of Mysidia and Cinquleur know that fighting one another directly would lead only to unnessecary death and casualties. Considering how few there are of mages of their ilk, they prefer instead to silently plot and scheme, carefully sabotaging the others business and operations all while they keep up a friendly mask while in each others company, sipping wine and dicussing magical philosophies with feigned adoration and respect. Sexuality and Marriage Military Category:Nation